Rumpelstiltskin

by Brothers Grimm

Overview

In Rumpelstiltskin a miller's careless boast that his clever daughter can spin gold from straw is forced by the king to deliver on this claim. A little man arrives to help the miller's distraught daughter in exchange for her firstborn child. Later, when the daughter, now the queen, gives birth to her first child, the little man comes to collect. He agrees to release the queen from her promise if she can learn his name. According to researchers at Durham University and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, this story originated around 4,000 years ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781974995684
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	888
File size:	178 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), were German academics and authors who collected and published folk tales during the 19th century. They popularized such stories as Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White. Their first collection of folk tales, Children's and Household Tales was published in 1812.

Place of Birth:

Hanau, Germany

Place of Death:

Berlin, Germany

Editorial Reviews

This new rendition of the Grimm classic comes up short when compared to Paul Zelinsky's Caldecott Honor version. The retelling, in an odd mix of formal and familiar tones, downplays the story's essential magic, mystery and suspense. Spirin's ( Once There Was a Tree ; The Fool and the Fish ) artistic interpretation is not quite up to his usual level of excellence here--many of the book's pages feature surprisingly bare scenes of characters standing about talking to one another. Even the climactic scene in which Rumpelstiltskin unwittingly reveals his name is related entirely through Sage's exposition rather than Spirin's art (Zelinsky's interpretation of this same scene is an eerie, full-page masterpiece). Rumpelstiltskin himself, as portrayed here, is not a frightening or even odd creature; he is merely a very short, well-dressed man. Though Spirin's paintings of costumes and courtly splendor are, as always, elegant, Rumpelstiltskin is a tale that demands drama and flair. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-- Watts's delicate artwork distinguishes this translation of Grimms' classic tale. While it falls short of the stunning beauty in Paul Zelinsky's version (Dutton, 1986), the illustrator's detailed colored-pencil illustrations do expand and give substance to the otherwise simple and straightforward text. Mice, frogs, ducks, fish, dragonflies, and even a hedgehog dart about as the king meets the miller and learns of his daughter. Vine-covered walls, tapestries, and starlit skies catch readers' eyes, allowing them to explore the king's castle with much delight. Bell's text, while not inspiring, faithfully follows the original. If another version of the story is needed, this one is pleasant enough, but it's not a must-buy. --Dot Minzer, North Barrington School, Barrington, IL

School Library Journal

With a new translation by Anthea Bell, this picture book retells the familiar fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin" in graceful, economical prose. Dramatizing the action in a series of large tableaus, Watts' pictures are pretty, but not too sweet. Children seeking "princess books" or parents and teachers looking for good picture books to read aloud will find this a satisfying choice.

Stuart Miller